next generation reads the philosopher's stone
by gen-next fan
Summary: the next generation of potters,weasely,malfoys along with their parents find a book titled "harry potter and the philosopher's stone" and decides to read...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry potter or any other characters that you recognize.

Life at the Godric Hollow cannot be more boring at the present. James Potter, 14 yr son of the legendary Harry potter, was lying on the bed counting the seconds on the clock. Albus, Harry's 12 yr old son, was listening to doing their transfiguration homework with his best friends Scorpius Malfoy and rose Weasley (who was also his cousin). The adults, Harry, Ron, Ginny were chatting in the living room. Lily potter and Hugo Weasley, both 11yr old were palying exploding snaps. So, you can see why Godric hollow was boring at the moment. So, lets spice it up shall we?

"Al, I am bored"

"James , if you say that one more time, I'll kick in your nut."

"Ha, fancy seeing you trying that."

"Shut up Potters and let me study"

"Hey Malfoy, can you do me a favour?"

"What?"

"Piss off"

"Haha, very funny, That will never happen"

"Guys will you please cut it off, you are acting like children"

"But we are children Rosie"

"Al, if you ever call me rosie, I'll hex you to oblivion"

"Ha, you can't do magic out of Hogwarts"

"Then I'll beat you to nuts."

This shut everyone up. All knew the temper of rose weasely. If she gets angry then only merlin can stop her. So, life continued to be boring at the godric's hollow.

Suddenly there was a flash of light and a book fell on top of James.

"Ouch!"

"What happened"

"Something just fell on top of me"

"Hey!.. it's a book of our Dad!!"

"What, let me see that."

"Wow, _Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone."_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters you recognize…

"Oh wow! this is a book about my dad during his first year!!", cried Albus.

"Always state obvious Al, don't you?", said James.

Albus stuck out his tongue at him.

"And that's really mature , isn't it", Rosie teased.

"We've got to call dad", said lily.

"Good idea, DAAAAAAAAADDDDD!"

"Ow!! Potter did you really had to shout??",said scorpius irritated.

James stuck his toungue at him.

Just then all the adults came stomping into the room.

"James, What happened?, asked Harry panicked.

"Look, we found a book!!"

"JAMES SIRUS POTTER, HOW DARE YOU SHOUT OUT FOR NO REASON?, YOU HAD US WORRIED.", cried Ginny.

"Seriously Gin, he is just living up to his namesakes ", said Ron, a little amused.

"But dad, read the title", cried lily jumping up and down her bed.

"_Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone!!"_

"Blood hell!!", said Ron.

"Ron!! Language!!", cried ginny, though she too was looking curiously at the book.

"Do you think we should read?",asked Hermione.

"Yeah, I really want to know more about harry when he was a scrawny little git,", replied Ginny smiling.

"Hey!!"

The children chuckled at this.

"Yeah I want to know about my father and how he was a pig headed idiot during the school years.", replied Scorpius.

"Well theirs no arguing in that!"

"Ron!"

"What it is true Hermione."

"So who wants to read the first chapter", asked Harry interrupting their oh so famous Weasely-Granger argument.

At this james was jumping up and down his bed.

"Why do I get the feeling that James wants to read first?, asked ron amused.

"Oh c'mon dad, give me the book, I found it"

"More like it fell on you head.", said Al laughing.

James stuck out his toungue at him and starting reading.

**THE BOY WHO LIVED**

"I think that means you dad!"

"The whole wizarding world knows that James.", said Al amused.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,**

At this every adults growled.

**of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. **

"You are welcome".

"James, will you just keep reading?"

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

"Boooorinng"

"James, if you interrupt again I'll give the book to someone else"

"jeez mom, I am just having fun."

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, **

"Or in other words, a walrus."

"Ron!!"

"What Hermione?..its true, you've seen the man before."

"Oh I was admonishing you for insulting the walrus."

At this everyone looked shoked gaping at Hermione.

"What those people made Harry's life miserable"

The children looked shocked at Harry.

"What, Dad you didn't say anything about this.", said Albus.

"Yeah. Uncle Dudley is alright.", said James.

Harry looked uncomfortable.

"Um, I think you'll find out more in this book and Dudley came to his senses in the final year."

**although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. **

"Ha, as if", said Ron

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

All the people in the room looked affronted.

"Well I definitely understand" ,smirked scorpius.

"Shut up Malfoy."

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband**

All the adults shouted at this.

"Harry's father is 10 times better than you", shouted Ginny.

"Yeah no James can be good for nothing.", said James, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, I differ to that.", smirked Malfoy.

"I told you to shut up", said James.

"James, just read.", said Ginny.

**were as unDursleyish**

Mommy, is that even a word", asked Lily.

"No honey, those durselys are just stupid."

**as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that. **

"Yeah, and we don't want Harry to mix with child like that", said Ron.

"Yeah, Harry is smart, caring, intelligent and very gentle lover.",said Ginny and then suddenly smacking her hand on her mouth realizing what she just said.

"Eeewwwww", said james, Scorpius and Albus.

Harry and Ginny blushed while Ron turned red and Hermione just laughed.

Lilly and Hugo looked confused.

"Mommy, what is wrong with loving."

Ginny didn't know what to say so Harry replied instead.

"There is nothing wrong honey, you will know when you get bigger".

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed **

"Ow.. horrible noise"

**as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. **

"**Brat".**

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. **

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. **

"**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. **

"Little???"

**He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. **

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map. **

"Ah!!"

"Bet you it's Mcgonagall"

"JAMES!!.. THERE WILL BE NO BETTING!!"

"But mom.."

"I SAID NO.."

"hmpphh.."

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. **

"yup..definitely Mcgonagall"

**What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, **_**looking **_**at the sign; cats couldn't read maps **_**or **_**signs. **

"Wow..Muggles are really stupid..", said scorpius.

"Malfoy, we said you to shut up..but ya 'this ' muggle is stupid"

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. **

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about.**

"What's so strange about that?", asked scorpius.

"It's strange for muggles", said Lily knowledgeably.

"Thanks midget."

"Don't call me midget"

"But you are."

"Am not."

"But you are."

"Am not."

"But you are."

"Am not."

"But you are."

"Am not."

"Both of you..cut it out. And james, please continue.", interrupted Harry.

**People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! **

"Yeah oldie..", said albus.

**He supposed this was some stupid new drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something…yes, that would be it.**

"wow..this muggle would go to any length to deny the wizarding world..", exclaimed Scorpius.

"That's true..", said James.

"Wow.. James and scorp agreeing on something..the world is coming to an end..", said Rose chuckling slightly.

"Shut up."

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. **

"Boorrring!.."

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. **_**He **_**didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. **

"What's wrong with that..", asked Malfoy.

Before lily could open her mouth, malfoy interrupted

" Yeah yeah, I know. Its strange for Muggles."

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"Git!"

**He was in a **

**very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery. **

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —" **

"— **yes, their son, Harry —" **

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. **

"Yes!"

"James , it's an expression.."

"I know , I am not stupid."

"Could have fooled me."

"Shut up Malfoy"

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. **

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. **

"Does he have a mind.", asked Albus.

"Doubt it.", said Ron.

**He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking…**

"That's something new.", said ron.

**no, he was being stupid. **

"No, he already is stupid."

"Uncle Ron, please stop interrupting, I am trying to read."

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew **_**was **_**called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. **

"Eeew..baad name..I love Harry..", said Ginny smiling.

Harry blushed.

**Or Harold. **

"That's worse."

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any **mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if _he'd _had a sister like that…

"Hey..there's nothing wrong with Grandma..", cried James and Albus.

Though they don't know much about their grandparent, they've heard stories about them and they were good people.

**but all the same, those people in cloaks… **

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. **

"**Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" **

"Yay!!!!!!"

"Lets celebrate"

All the kids were dancing.

Though they have not faced the war, they've heard stories about it and knew that Voldemort was a very evil man and how they've affected their parents.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off. **

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"Because he don't have any.", Ginny huffed.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. **

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. **

"Haha..as if that would work with mcgonagall".

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. **

Everyone in the room shuddered knowing the gare very well.

**Was this normal cat behavior? **

"Nope."

**Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. **

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). **

"Brat."

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: **

"_**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" **_

"_**Well, Ted,"**_

"Teddy..", cried Lily.

"Lily, honny teddy is not even born yet.", said Ginny.

_**said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! **_

"Wow..we should do that."

"James, no pranks.", said Ginny.

_**Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." **_

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters… **

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?" **

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. **

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?" **

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls…shooting stars…and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…" **

"_**So?**_**" snapped Mrs. Dursley. **

"**Well, I just thought…maybe…it was something to do with…you know…**_**her **_**crowd." **

Everyone in the room looked angry at this.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son — he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?" **

"**I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly. **

"**What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?" **

"**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me." **

"Yeah..and Dudley is a very good name.", said Ginny.

Others chuckled.

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree." **

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. **

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did…if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it. **

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters **_**were **_**involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind…He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect **_**them**_**… **

**How very wrong he was. **

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all. **

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. **

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.**

"Dumbledore!!", said the adults.

"So this is the legendary Albus Dumbledore?", asked James.

"James, you've seen his picture".

"Yay!..my namesake..",said Albus.

**He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.**

"Weird dress sense"

"That's Dumbledore to you."

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. **

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known." **

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Hey..isn't that the one you have Dad.", asked Rose.

"Yeah, Dumbledore gave it to me when he died."

Harry looked sad at the mention of Dumbledore's death.

**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, **

"Nice name"

**until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. **

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall." **

"told you!"

"Nobody argued James."

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. **

"**How did you know it was me?" she asked. **

"**My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly." **

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall. **

"**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here." **

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. **

"**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls…shooting stars…Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense." **

"Like James here.",smirked Scorpius.

James just glared.

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years." **

"Wow..eleven years."

"Yeah, that was the span of the first war.",said Rose,"You must pay attention to History of Magic, James."

"We have a life Rosie."

Others just chuckled at this.

"**I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors." **

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really **_**has **_**gone, Dumbledore?" **

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?" **

"Typical Dumbledore.", said Harry smiling.

"Hey, Al I think you got the craziness from him."

"Shut up James."

"**A **_**what**_**?" **

"**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of." **

"**No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops.**

"Mcgonagall should really loosen up."

"That would be the day."

"**As I say, even if You-Know-Who **_**has **_**gone —" **

"**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **_**Voldemort**_**."**

"Voldemort!", shouted everyone in the room.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." **

"**I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, **_**Voldemort**_**, was frightened of." **

"**You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have." **

Everyone laughed at this.

"My namesake rocks!", said Albus.

Suddenly Harry realized what Albus would think about his other namesake, Severus Snape.

"**Only because you're too — well —**_**noble **_**to use them." **

"**It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." **

Everyone chuckled at this.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said "The owls are nothing next to the **_**rumors **_**that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" **

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever **

"**everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer. **

"**What they're **_**saying**_**," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — **_**dead**_**." **

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. **

"**Lily and James…I can't believe it…I didn't want to believe it…Oh, Albus…" **

"See, mcgonagall really likes us."

"Yeah, she is a real softy inside.",said harry.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know…I know…" he said heavily. **

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone." **

**Dumbledore nodded glumly. **

"Yes, take that Voldemort", shouted the kids.

"and thus the legend of Harry Potter begins."

"Daddy, did u kill this evil guy", asked Lily since she didn't know about Harry's life.

"Yes honey. I was about to tell you about this when you get older."

"**It's — it's **_**true**_**?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done…all the people he's killed…he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding…of all the things to stop him…but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?" **

"**We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know." **

"Dumbledore's guesses are always correct", said Harry though he was a bit bitter about the secret he keeps from people.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?" **

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me **_**why **_**you're here, of all places?" **

"**I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now." **

The adults looked very angry about this, knowing about harry's childhood while the chidren looked shocked to find out that their father/uncle was going to live with these horrible people.

"**You don't mean – you **_**can't **_**mean the people who live **_**here**_**?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!" **

"**It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter." **

"Does he really think that he can explain everything in a letter", said albus sadly having second doubts about his namesake.

Harry, sensing this said, "Al, I know that you are having doubts about him, but I want to tell you that Albus Dumbledore was the greates man I've ever known but he was also human and makes mistakes. Plus you will soon find out why he left me with the Durselys."

Albus nodded at this.

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future — there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!" **

"**Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?" **

"He has a point, we don't want dad to be like James here.", said Albus smirking.

"Hey! I am not arrogant."

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it. **

"**Hagrid's bringing him." **

"**You think it —**_**wise **_**— to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?" **

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Harry.

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore. **

"Creepy."

"**I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?" **

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. **

"Hey, isn't that the motorcycle at grandpa's backyard?", asked James.

"Yes, it is.", said Harry smiling.

He had gifted the bike to Mr. Weasley knowing his fondness with Muggle stuff.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so **_**wild **_**— long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, **

"Hagrid!", exclaimed the kids.

They were really fond of the half giant, including the young Malfoy.

**he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets. **

"**Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?" **

"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir." **

Harry smiled sadly hear the mention of his dead godfather.

Sesing his sadness, Ginny began rubbing his shoulders.

"**No problems, were there?" **

"**No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol." **

"Aw!!", exclaimed the girls.

Harry blushed at this.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning. **

"**Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever." **

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?" **

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. **

"**Cool, I also want a scar."**

"**No James, you'll never have a scar.", said Harry angry.**

James quieted down at this, realizing what he said and how it would have affected his dad.

**Well — give him here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with." **

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house. **

"**Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog. **

"Aaww…"

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!" **

"**S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —" **

"Yeah, that's just sad."

"**Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out. **

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations." **

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir." **

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night. **

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. **

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. **

"**Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. **

Everyone looked sad, thinking how Harry's childhood will be affected.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"**

"THE BOY WHO LIVED!", the kids shouted dancing.

The adults just chuckled watching their antics.

"That's the end of the chapter."

A/N:So, What do you think??..Sorry for all the grammatical mistakes and please review.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters that you identify.

**A/n: :****Thank you for all the nice reviews I got. I really appreciate it. I'll really try to update as constantly as possible, but I have to warn you that my exams are approaching so please bear with me if I don't update soon.** **As for Lily not knowing about Harry, I assumed that she would maybe at a certain level know that her dad is famous but might not know that he actually killed a dark wizard. I didn't think about the chocolate cards so let's just assume that she doesn't collect any. As for Hugo, I honestly forgot that he was also a character in my story xD. I'll make sure that he gets equal lines in the future. Please continue to give suggestions and point out the mistakes made by me as this is one of my first fanfics.**

"So, who wants to read next?" asked Ginny.

All the kids raised their hands.

"James, you've already read, so give someone else the chance. Scorpius, you can read this chapter, then Albus followed by Lily, Hugo and Rose. "

"Oh my God!! Do we have to listen to his incessant drawl for the whole chapter?" exclaimed James rather dramatically.

"Yes!" said Scorpius smirking.

James huffed while the others chuckled at his antics.

**The Vanishing Glass**

"Sounds like an interesting chapter"

"Hey, is this when…" began Ron,

"Yup and don't say anything. You'll ruin the moment," said Harry smirking.

Everyone looked curiously at Harry except Ron and Hermione.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, **

"That would mean dad is 11 now", said James quiet seriously (as that is his middle name:P)

"Jeez Potter, we know how to count." said Malfoy.

James just stuck his tongue at him.

**but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all.**

"Unfortunately"

**The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets — but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, **

"Yup, he is a pig now "said Ron.

**and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. **

"Brat"

**Yet Harry Potter **

"Yay!!!"

**was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day. **

"**Up! Get up! Now!"**

"Oww…Malfoy do you really have to shout?" asked James.

"Yes" said Scorpius.

"By the way, you'll make a good aunt Petunia." said Harry smirking.

Scorpius looked insulted at this but continued reading.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again. **

"**Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before. **

"But it's not a dream dad, its real", said James.

"We know James".

**His aunt was back outside the door. **

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded. **

"**Nearly," said Harry. **

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." **

"She wants perfect for completely imperfect and indecent people, that's just perfect, isn't it?" said Rose.

"Um, what?" asked James confused.

"Just ignore her, that's what I do" replied Hugo "She just drones about something incoherent if you listen to her"

"Wow incoherent uh... You said a big word Hugo, my little brother is growing up" teased Rose.

"What can I say; you are rubbing on to me."

"It's rubbing off on me Hugo and not rubbing on me"

"Will you two please stop talking so I can continue?"

**Harry groaned. **

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door. **

"**Nothing, nothing…" **

**Dudley's birthday — how could he have forgotten?**

"Well, it's easy, Hugo forgets something every time."

"Only when it's related to me"

"Will you to cut it out so Scorpius can read" said Hermione.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasely"

"Did Malfoy be polite, the world is really coming to an end "

"Shut up Potter, I am a polite person."

"Oh really? Tell that to Savitha Patil whose homework you borrowed and threw it to her after you copied it"

"Kids, please stop fighting and Scorpius, please continue"

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept. **

There was a dead silence at this.

"Did it actually say cupboard?" asked Albus.

Ginny rounded up on Harry with hands on her hips.

"Harry you didn't tell me that you used to live in a cupboard?"

"Um honey, you see I um…"

"Forgot did you?" said Hermione equally (or maybe more) angry.

"Well..."

"Oh Petunia… we are going to have a nice long talk"

Both women had fire in their eyes while their husbands and the kids shuddered.

They couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the Durselys for they have to face not one but two fiery women.

"Scorpius, just continue" said Albus quietly.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise — unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

Everyone looked angry at that. Though Dudley has changed now, it didn't make them feel any better.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes.**

"Or, in other words, exactly like Albus." said Lily.

"Oh dad, I really feel sorry for you." said James, attempting to lighten up the mood.

"Wouldn't it be the other way around?" asked Hugo curiously.

"Come again "said Rose.

"I mean, Albus looks like Harry and not the other way around, right?"

"Wow Hugo, you might have inherited a bit of your mom's gene" said Harry smiling.

"Thank God for that. I really didn't want to deal with another Ron" said Hermione who looked less angry now.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead**

"Which ironically I began to hate when I entered the wizarding world"

**that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it. **

"**In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions." **

"Oh dear, you didn't even know how your parents died?" asked Ginny sadly.

Harry just nodded.

_**Don't ask questions **_**— that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys. **

"We should also make a rule for Hugo here to not ask stupid questions" teased Rose.

"Hey I always ask intellectual questions. None of them are stupid."

"Wow Hugo, you are using big words. You should stay away from Rosie or she would corrupt you," said James smirking.

Rose turned to find something to throw at James (which turned out to be his Quidditch through the ages) and hit it straight at his head.

"Ow"

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon. **

"**Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting. **

"Potter hair never stay straight, it's a curse" mumbled Albus trying to straighten his hair.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place. **

"Cool..."

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig. **

Everyone laughed at this.

"Great one dad" exclaimed Albus.

"Now I see where James gets his crude sense of humor" said Lily smiling.

James just stuck his tongue at her.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell. **

"**Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year." **

"Brat "

"Even I don't get that many presents!" exclaimed Malfoy.

"Wow! This kid is more spoiled than Malfoy." exclaimed James.

"Look who's talking about being spoiled."

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."**

The adults chuckled at the mention of Aunt Marge.

"**All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over. **

"Or in other words, like Jamsie here "said Lily smiling.

"Hey! I don't wolf down bacons and don't call me Jamsie"

Lily just smirked.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another **_**two **_**presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin?**

"Ha! Popkin ? Man what is this kid? 2?" exclaimed Scorpius laughing.

"No, he is 11" said Lily knowledgeably.

"I knew that midget!"

"I told you never to call me midget" said Lily in a deadly voice she learned from her mother.

"Ok ok, no harms done" said Scorpius backing out.

_**Two **_**more presents. Is that all right" **

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty…thirty…" **

"39!! God, even I can count and I am younger than him" exclaimed Hugo.

"Yeah even I can count see

1

2

3

4

5

6..."

"Um Lily, we all know that you can count, but will you please stop so I can read" said Scorpius rather politely as he didn't want to be at the receiving end of another death glare.

"**Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia. **

All the kids gagged at the nickname while the adults just grimaced**.**

"**Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then." **

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. **

"**Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair. **

"Should be more like...Atta pig!" said James.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried. **

"**Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction. **

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies.**

"Hey Dad, is that why you take us out on our birthdays and plan soething special so we wouldn't miss those things you did?" asked Albus .

"That and we love you."

**Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned. **

"Ewww…we feel sorry for you"

"**Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this.**

Everyone looked angrily at the book.

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again. **

"Again...eeww" said James.

"What's with James and cats" asked Hugo.

"I prefer dogs"

"Must be something to do with his middle name" mumbled Harry.

"**We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested. **

"**Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy." **

"His name is Harry" said Ginny angrily.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there — or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug. **

"Really, you've mistaken Harry for the oaf of a son you have that's called Dudley," said Ron angrily,

"Or ickle diddykins or diddums or other names you use" said James laughing.

"**What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?" **

"Eww…what's with these people… can't theyhave proper names" said Hermione.

"Yeah, and Hugo is a nice name?" said Hugo. He really didn't like his name.

"Aww… we really think that it's a cute name…" said Hermione smiling.

"**On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia. **

"**You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

"What's a computer?" asked Malfoy.

Hermione explained it to him and he seemed fascinated.

"Wow… I should ask dad to get me one"

"Dude… do you have a death wish? You are asking Draco Malfoy to buy you something Muggle?" asked James incredulously.

Scorpius shuddered at this and continued to read.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"What's wrong with lemons, I love that" asked Hugo.

"You love anything that is edible Hugo, just like Dad"

"Hey!" exclaimed both father and son.

"**And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"That is something James would do and not dad" said Albus.

"Hey! I wouldn't um…" began James,"Oh, who am I kidding, I think you are right…the house would be in shambles"

"That's why we never leave you alone" said Ginny smiling.

"**I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening. **

"To bad, I would have" said James.

"**I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "…and leave him in the car…" **

"**That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…" **

**Dudley began to cry loudly. **

"I am younger than him and I've never cried in a long time" said Hugo.

"Neither have I" added Lily.

**In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried **

"Oh…that's even worse", said Lily, "even Scorpius isn't that spoiled."

"Yeah" began Scorpius before realizing what she said,"Hey! I am not spoiled!!"

Everyone laughed at that.

— **but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted. **

"**Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. **

"Haha, I feel sorry for the kid." said Malfoy.

"Yeah I kinda started to like Hugo after hearing these names."

Everyone laughed at that.

"**I…don't…want…him…t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. **

"Brat."

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, **

"Oh God, what is with these people and names?" asked Ginny," can they have normal names?"

"And Ginerva is a normal name" teased Hermione."

"As if Hermione is"

"Well, it least we have nice names."

**walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once. **

"Ha!"

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley,**

"Good"

**on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. **

"That's really sad." Said James for once being serious (as his second name ), "Dad's first outing was when he's 11"

**His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside. **

"**I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas." **

**Everyone was angry at this.**

"Dursely, you really are going to pay for this" said Ginny with fire in her eyes which made everyone except Hermione, who was equally mad, shudder.

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…" **

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did. **

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen. **

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." **

"She's right about the scar" muttered Harry.

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he **_**couldn't **_**explain how it had grown back so quickly. **

"Hey! That's not his fault"

"It doesn't matter, they'll punish me anyway"

Everyone looked angry at this.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished. **

"Thank goodness."

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. **

"Wow dad, you apparated?" said James excitedly.

Harry smiled at the memory.

"That's pretty impressive magic" said Ron.

"But nothing impressive than what Lily did to James" smiled Albus.

Everyone except James began laughing at the memory.

It had happened a month ago. That day, James was really tired and so Ginny made him a cup of hot coffee. Apparently, he gets very hyperactive (more than he already is) and began jumping all around the house annoying everyone to no end. That is until he decided to wake Lily up by pouring a bucket of water and poking with his wand on her butt. That was rather a foolish thing to do, seeing for a fact that Lily is the daughter of Ginerva Weasely and grand-daughter of Molly Weasely. That day, James walked the whole day with spring in his leg, acne all over his face, pink hair and bats coming out his nose (the effect of famous bat bogey curse).To this day, James claims that his butt never feels the same. From that day onwards, all made a point to never annoy Lily again.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump. **

"No dad, you apparated!"

"I know that now, James."

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard,**

Ginny muttered angrily at the mention of the cupboard.

**or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room. **

"Ewww, I know exactly what you mean dad", said James. Mrs. Figgs used to babysit James for a while.

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles. **

"…**roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them. **

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying." **

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" **

"Don't shout Scorpius", said Ginny, though amused.

"But, it's in capital letters"

"That's not a good excuse"

**Dudley and Piers sniggered. **

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream." **

"No dad, it was real"

"I know that now James"

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas. **

"They really are scared of wizards aren't they?" asked james with an evil grin.

Everyone shuddered as they knew james was a really good prankster and what he does to people he doesn't like. Harry and Ron couldn't help but feel sorry for the Durselys, who are not only going to feel the wrath of Ginny and Hermione, but also James.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away,**

"Good"

**they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond. **

**Everyone laughed at this.**

"Good one dad!" exclaimed Albus.

Harry just smiled.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers,who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. **

"Good thinking," said Rose.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory **

"Eww…even their food have weird names." Said Ginny.

**didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first. **

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last. **

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. **

"Hey, dad, aren't you a pareseltongue", said James.

"Yeah…"

"You are" said Scorpius surprised while Lily looked confused.

"What's a parseltongue Mommy?" asked Lily.

"One who can talk to snakes"

She just shrugged at this, not taking this as a big deal.

**Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep. **

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils. **

"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge. **

"That would really be boring for the snake - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long." Said James.

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered.**

"Brat"

**Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on. **

"**This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away. **

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. **

James blinked at this. He just sounded like his Dad.

**It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house. **

Ginny snarled at this and Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he was sitting next to her and didn't want to face her anger.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's. **

_**It winked. **_

"Um… Dad, is the snake flirting with you?" said James incredulously.

Everyone laughed loudly at that.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

"Oh dear, you are flirting back," said James ,"Ewww…what would happen if you two would have se…"

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER! IF YOU COMPLETE THE SENTENCE, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU'LL BE GROUNDED FOR LIFE" shouted Ginny angrily.

However Lily looked curious.

"Have what James?"

"Um… nothing Lils , Scorpius, please continue", said James.

"Did you just say please?" said Scorpius smirking. He was enjoying James getting shouted at.

"Just read Malfoy."

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: **

"_**I get that all the time." **_

"Yeah, that would be annoying"

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying." **

**The snake nodded vigorously. **

"That sounds like a nice snake." said James.

"Do you wanna flirt with it, potter?" said Scorpius.

"Shut up and read Malfoy"

"How can I read with my mouth shut?"

"You know what I meant."

"No I didn't."

"Just read"

Scorpius smirked but continued reading.

"**Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked. **

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it. **

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil. **

"**Was it nice there?" **

"Nice small talk Dad."

"This joke is getting old James" sighed Harry.

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?" **

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" **

"Pratt."

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could. **

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs.**

"Hey!" shouted everyone (that is other than Harry) angrily.

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror. **

Everyone except Ron and Hermione, who just smirked, looked eagerly at the book**.**

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. **

Everyone laughed loudly at this.

"Brilliant."

"Excellent"

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits. **

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, **_**"Brazil, here I come…Thanksss, amigo." **_

"See potter, even snakes has manners and you don't"

James just stuck his tongue at him.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. **

"**But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?" **

"Magic" said James mysteriously that caused everyone to laugh.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. **

"Wish it had."

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?" **

"Crap."

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, **

"Hey!!!" shouted everyone.

**and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy. **

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food. **

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

Everyone looked sad at this especially the kids, who had a wonderful life and were quite shocked to know that their Dad/uncle had such a bad life.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from.**

"Avada Kedavra" said Rose horrified.

"What?" asked James confused.

"Nothing"

**He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. **

Ginny was muttering angrily at this.

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. **

"You've had Weasleys later" said Ron.

"Yeah, thank God for that."

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too.**

"Wizards."

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look. **

"Wow, you were famous even as a kid." said Hugo.

"Well, duh… he is the destroyer of the most evil wizard" said Rose.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"That's the end of chapter."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Oh my God!...I totally forgot that I had written a fanfic once. When I saw when my story was last updated, I realized that it was more than 2 years! I am really really sorry for not updating in such a long time. I know how frustrating it is when I read a story and it is not updated in a long time. I promise that from now on, I'll find some time and start updating constantly!**

"Okay, Al, it seems like you are next!" said Ginny.

"Yes, finally!"

But before he could start reading there was a knock on the door and in walked a blond man in his mid thirties with an arrogant smile and an aristocratic look. Yes, my friends, Draco Malfoy is in the room!

"My my, what do we have here, The Potters, Weasleys and my son all sitting together and reading a book! That is really interesting as I recall the Weasel over there saying that he'll make sure that his daughter will not be in the same room my son is!"

"Go away Malfoy!" said Ron, his ears red.

"Or what Weasley, jinx me, make me belch slugs, you remember second year, right?"

"Nah, I'll just turn you into a ferret."

At this Malfoy became a bit pale. To this day he still gets nightmares remembering that awful day. But before he could say anything, Hermione interrupted.

"Now now, stop acting like a bunch of 5 year olds."

"Yeah, we really want to read this book" said James.

"Wow, the eldest Potter is interested in reading a book?"

"Well, when it is about your Dad, you would be."

"What? Potter has a book about him! That's so unfair. I am much more interesting than him. Let me see it."

"Well, all you have to-do is escape the Dark Lord many times and kill him in the end, and you'll have a book written about you." said Ginny smirking, while handing over the book.

"Gah, semantics." said Draco, while he was reading the back of the cover, "Wow, if this is about Potter, I'll surely be in the book."

"Yah, you'll be shown as the git you really are." said Ron smirking.

"You know Uncle Ron, at times you and Uncle Draco remind me of Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione!" said James with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Hermione, catching up with what James was doing and wanting to shut the two morons up, one of which is her husband, decided to play along.

"You know Ron, I think James is right, are you cheating behind me with Draco!" said Hermione pretending to be crying," I always had suspicions, with that maroon dress in you wear in your fourth year, with the way your ears turn red whenever you see Draco. Why Ron, Why!"

"Oh my god! My Dad's gay! But it's a good thing that you've come out of the closet Dad." said Scorpius smirking.

"Ummm, guys there are children here" said Ginny, though she also had laughter in her eyes, which the others made no attempt to hide it. Rose was just looking at her mother with shock, never having heard her use such crude humor. All this while, Ron and Draco were completely red and pale respectively, not liking this one bit (and why would they :P) and Lily and Hugo just looked confused.

"Scorpius, do you want to be grounded for the rest of the summer" said Draco angrily.

"Oh c'mon Dad, it was just a joke."

But before Draco could respond, Hugo interrupted.

"Mom, what are you talking about and doesn't gay mean happy? Why is Mr. Malfoy grounding Scorpius for calling him happy? I mean, I know he always looks grumpy, but I thought that his face looks like that and he is a happy man inside." said Hugo.

At this everyone laughed while Draco exclaimed, "What's wrong with my face!" pulling out a mirror of his robe examining his face.

"Dear God, Mr. Malfoy, you keep a mirror in your robe?" said James.

"Well Scorp, this is one trait you got from your dad?" smirked Albus.

"That's because we, unlike you Potters, have good looks. I mean, when was the last time you Potters used a comb."

"That's because the comb is no use against the Potter hair!" said James.

"Hello, I still didn't get my question answered." interrupted Hugo.

"Um, nothing sweetie, it's for adults" said Hermione, embarrassed.

At this, Lily looked a bit annoyed but before she could say anything, Albus interrupted.

"Hello… can I please read the book"

"Hey hey, at least brief me on what has happened till now." said Draco.

After explaining him, Al began to read.

**THE LETTERS FROM NO ONE**

"Uh..How can there be letters from no one, Dad?" asked Lily.

"Read and you'll find out." said Harry smirking.

"Why do I have a feeling that this dialog is going to be used again and again?" said James.

"Wow James, I think you might be a seer" said Rose sarcastically.

James, not catching the sarcasm said excitedly"You think, I mean I can do a better than Trelawney, you know, I once predicted that it will snow in about 10 mins and it did and then there was one time…"

"That was sarcasm James" interrupted Rose amused.

At this James sheepishly murmured, "I knew that", at which everyone laughed.

"Please continue Al"

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. **

Everyone, who surprisingly included Draco, looked angrily at this.

"Hey Potter, I didn't know that your home life was this shitty. Sorry for treating so badly at school"

Before Harry can respond, Ron interrupted angrily, "Oh Malfoy, you have load of things to be sorry about."

Seeing that a fight was about to begin Harry hurriedly told Al to continue which he obligingly did.

**By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"Hey, you brat" said James, who despite complaining about her cats a lot, was fond of Figg as she had babysat him a lot.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon **

"Okay, I what is with these names, Dudley ,Piers, Gordon. Do all Muggles have these weird names?" said Draco.

"Oh, Dad, this has been much discussed subject for the last two chapters." said Scorpius.

**were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. **

"Figures" said Ron.

"You know, it kind of reminds me of your gang, Malfoy" said Harry.

"Hey, are you inferring that I am stupid." said Draco angrily.

"No Draco, they were implying it." said Hermione smirking," and you inferred it." (A/N: courtesy Sheldon Cooper, Big Bang Theory).

"Guys, can we please continue with the chapter." Said Ginny annoyed.

"Yea, sorry Gin" said Hermione sheepishly.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.**

At this everyone stared angrily at the book.

"I'd always liked Uncle Dudley. Now I can never see him eye to eye." said Albus.

"Um, Al, this was a long time ago. Dudley is a better man now." said Harry.

"Yeah, whatever, he still did those awful things to you."

This worried Harry. Al was never the one to forgive someone easily. He really didn't know how he will react to Snape.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley.**

"But, Dad, you'll be going to Hogwarts right? Not some secondary school." asked Lily.

"Yes honey, but I didn't know anything about Hogwarts then."

"Oh."

**Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. **

"Ok, now even the school sounds stupid."

**Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"What's funny about this mommy?" asked Lily.

"There is nothing funny, Uncle Dudley is just being stupid."

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall,"**

"Ewww…" said the kids.

"Dad, I am so happy that you went to Hogwarts and not to this school." said James.

"Me too son, me too."

**he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

"Oh Dudley, do it and I am going to make you regret that you were never born." said Ginny dangerously.

Everyone shuddered at this.

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick." **

Everyone laughed hard at this.

"Good one Harry/Potter" said Ron, Draco simultaneously.

"Wow guys, finishing each other's lines, you really are soulmates." said James.

This shut the two up while others laughed harder.

**Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

"Don't worry dad, he'll never figure it out" said Albus.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn 't as bad as usual. **

"She isn't that bad." said James.

"We know James, you said that already. You love Mrs. Figg." said Albus.

"Hey! Not love. I just care about her."

"Whatever James, whatever."

**It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats,**

"Oh dear, did she go to the doctor, Dad?" asked James worriedly.

"You know that this happened a long time ago, don't you, James?" asked Harry amused.

"Yeah, but did she?"

Seeing that James looked serious and worried, Harry replied "Of course, James she went to the doctor."

"Thank God. Oh, shut up Al!"

"What? I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it." said James while everyone laughed at the exchange.

**and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

"Hey, those chocolate cakes now are delicious" said James.

"Ok Potter, it was funny before but now this 'love' is getting kinda creepy" said Scorpius.

"I don't love her, I just.."

"Yea yea whatever, albus just continue."

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. **

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Draco," Do all Muggle schools have such ugly uniforms?"

"No Malfoy, just the stupid ones like Smeltings have such kind."

"Yeah, mine were kind of nice." said Hermione reminiscing.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"Ok, so this school practically promotes bullying and hitting" said Hermione, "this is just wrong."

"You know, Malfoy", said Ron," if you were a muggle, this would be the best pace for you"

"Ok, Weasel, are you just going to sit there insulting me the whole time. I never once mentioned your family like I used to at school or insult you for that matter. Why can't you just forgive and forget. Or atleast just shut up and bear me like Potter here is doing." said Malfoy angrily.

The whole room quieted at that outburst, shocked to hear that Malfoy was really annoyed by this. Realizing what he had done Ron sheepishly mumbled"Sorry Malfoy. I won't insult you but that won't stop me from teasing you or making odd comments here and there"

"Fair enough"

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life.**

"My son's bottom now looks like a baby elephant. This is the proudest moment in my life! By next year, his bottom will be larger than mine" said James in his best Uncle Vernon expression wiping fake tears.

Everyone laughed heavily at this shouting "Good one, James."

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins,**

"What the hell! That's the worst nickname ever!" exclaimed Draco.

"Oh Dad, you've not heard other nicknames, there's Diddums, Diddykins to name a few!" said Scorpius.

"I really feel for the kid"

"I don't" said Albus angrily.

At this Harry was really worried on the reaction Al would have on Snape.

**he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

"So, do us Dad, so do us" said james.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. **

"Oh no, did Dudley fart" said James scared.

"Maybe, Dudley and Uncle Vernon were having a farting competition" said Hugo smirking.

Everyone laughed hard, picturing that.

"You know, this is the reason why they have the save the environment slogans" said Harry still laughing.

**It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

"This better be not what I think it is" said Ginny angrily.

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

"Like Prof McGonagall?" asked James.

"Maybe, but much uglier and unlike Prof. McGonagall, her frown always stayed that way." replied Harry.

**"Your new school uniform," she said.**

"Oh no, oh no, Petunia, when I get your hands on you, you are going to regret that were even alive" said Ginny angrily while Hermione was muttering angrily under her breadth.

"Um girls, I actually didn't wear those clothes" said Harry scared.

At this Hermione replied, still red," So? if you weren't a wizard, you would have worn those, This is just not right."

"Um Al, just continue."

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

Ginny, Hermione and almost all the others were muttering angrily under their breadths.

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

"Atleast it might be better than Dudley's" said James

"Um, Dudley's uniform or skin, James?" asked Albus.

"Both!"

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. **

"And you still make your nephew wear that!" said Ginny fuming.

**Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere,**

"Brat."

**on the table. They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

**"Make Harry get it."**

**"Get the mail, Harry."**

**"Make Dudley get it."**

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and - a letter for Harry.**

"Yes!" cried the kids.

"You finally get the Hogwarts letter daddy" said Lily smiling.

"Not quite honey."

"What does that mean?" asked James as others looked curiously as none knew of the episode.

"Just read Al, and you all will find out."

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives **

Everyone looked sad at that but surprisingly Draco spoke,

"You had really good friends later on Potter" said Draco, "something I was always jealous about."

At this there was stunned silence as everyone stared at Draco at this revelation.

"Ahem, Albus just continue." said Draco uncomfortably.

**- he didn't belong to the library,so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet**

**here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

"You know, it's odd. It is written as cupboard but no one thought of investigating" said Hermione thoughtfully.

"I think that there is some magical quill that just writes the letters to all the students." said Harry, "because anywhere I went it knew where I was! It might be much like the trace."

"Hmmm"

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.**

"Wow, the envelope hasn't changed for years." said James.

"It's been the same for centuries, since the beginning." said Hermione, " You would know that if you read the Hogwarts, the History."

"No thanks, we have you and Rose for that."

"Humph"

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

"Wow, this man has worse sense of humor than Hugo." said James exasperatedly.

"Yeah" agreed Hugo, before thinking," Hey! What does that mean?"

Everyone chuckled at this as Al continued.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

"Oh c'mon Potter, are you stupid?" asked Draco.

"I was 11 Malfoy, and extremely curious." replied Harry defending himself, "All I wanted to do then was to read the letter though I later realized that I could have hid it in my pocket and read it later."

"Yeah yeah I understand. I mean I had believed that you guys were trying to smuggle a dragon then." said Draco chuckling, not realizing that it was indeed true.

All kids laughed at this with James shouting, "Good one Dad. Tell us how you convinced Mr. Malfoy in believing such a thing."

Harry exchanged a glance with Ron and Hermione, the only people in the room who knew the truth and smirked, "You'll get the entire story later on in this book."

"Awww. Albus, read fast"

"I would James, if you people didn't keep interrupting."

"But where is the fun in just reading silently."

"Oh c'mon, can you two please stop fighting? I want to know how dad gets his letter." said Lily restlessly.

"Sorry Li" said Albus," I'll continue"

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk. -."**

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

"Oh Daddy daddy." said James whining, "what a tattletale".

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"Hey" shouted James, Hermione and Ginny at the same time.

"That's not your letter you big big…" said Ginny fuming, unable to finish her sentence."

"Elephant?" tried James ,"Rhino, Pig?"

"Argh, all of the above"

**"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"Yeah, show him Dad" said Albus.

"Who's interrupting now" said James smirking.

"Oh shut up."

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights.**

"Nice description" said Hermione.

**And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

"Now that is even nicer description"

"Yes Mione we know" said Ron.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

"Wow, this is over-reacting" said Draco disbelievingly.

"Oh this nothing compared to what happens next, Malfoy." said Harry.

"What do you mean?"

"Just read"

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

"Ok now this is even worse over reacting" said James.

"Oh my dear son, this is still trivial compared to what happens next."

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!"**

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"He really was a spoiled kid then wasn't he Uncle Harry?" asked Rose.

"Yes dear, but he is a good man now"

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly. want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

"Yeah tell him dad" shouted Lily.

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

**I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"This was like when me and James were trying to listen to Mom and Dad…" began Al but was nudged by James to stop him from talking any further.

"Listen to what Al" asked Ginny sweetly with a gleam in her eye.

"Nothing Mom, let me continue."

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

**"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -"**

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen. "No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything... **

"As if that would stop the Boy who lived from entering Hogwarts" said Ron skeptically.

"Oh Ron, you have no idea." said Harry.

"Ok dad, either you tell us what happened or be quiet till we read and find out" said James a little annoyed.

"But where's the fun in doing that my dear Jamesiepoo" said Harry smirking.

"WHERE IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET THIS AWFUL NICKNAME" shouted James.

"That was what I and dad used to call Jamsie" said Ginny joining.

"Al continue before they start coining more nicknames for me"

"Nah, I am fine for now" said Al smirking.

"You want to know what we used to call you Allie Billie?" said Ginny.

"Ok ok, continuing," said Al hastily while everyone else laughed.

**"But -"**

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

"Ok, what is wrong with a wizard except maybe be Voldemort and his death eaters but seriously, there are criminals in there." asked Ron.

"Nothing Ron, Petunia is just jealous that Lily was a witch she wasn't and Vernon is just…weird."

"Weird?"

"There are kids here Ron, Al please continue."

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"Wow, did he fit in" asked James genuinely.

"He didn't actually come inside" replied Harry.

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. **

**"Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. it was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly.**

**"I have burned it."**

"WHAT" said Hermione "that's just wrong"

Others also looked angrily at this.

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

"Yeah tell him Mr. Potter" said Scorpius.

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.**

Ron shivered a bit at that, still not getting over his scare of spiders.

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"It would certainly look horrible" said Scorpius.

"I think that was the first time he smiled at me"

**"Er - yes, Harry - about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you're really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.**

"Ha as if that would stop the letters from coming." replied James.

"Dudley is going to throw a tantrum, right Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Oh Yeah" came the reply.

**"Why?" said Harry.**

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. **

"And you still made Harry live in the cupboard!" exclaimed Ginny with a glint in her eye, "Oh Dursley, you have a lot to answer to."

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; **

"No!" exclaimed James, who was fond of dogs.

**in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television **

"Hey Dad, can I get this tele thing" asked Scorpius without thinking.

Everything stood to a standstill at that, all wondering what Draco's reaction to his son asking for something Muggle would be. What surprised them was the reply

"Hmmm…I don't know anything about it. Let's see what it is and will decide if it's alright to buy or not."

"Wow Malfoy, you really are changing" said Harry surprised.

"Whatever Potter."

**set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled;**

"Scorp, if you do this, I wont buy you anything" said Draco.

"Don't worry Dad, I am not spoiled" replied Scorpius "Um, atleast not this much spoiled"

**there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

"Figures" replied Ron.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, I don't want him in there... I need that room... make him get out..."**

"What a spoiled brat" came the comment from surprisingly, Draco.

Everyone stared at that to which he replied, "What? He is spoiled!"

"Yes Malfoy, we are not arguing that, but we are surprised that you are the one to say that someone else is spoiled." replied Harry," You know, you and Dudley can have a competition on who is more spoiled one. It would be a pretty close one."

"Whatever Potter. Albus, just continue."

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it. **

"Irony, uh." said Hugo.

"Hugo, do you know the meaning of irony?" asked Rose.

"Nah, but this felt like it." said Hugo.

"Wow, Hugo, you feel a lot of this but this is the first time relating to grammar." teased James.

Hugo just stuck his tongue at him.

"Very mature Hugo, very mature."

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick,**

"And he is still not reprimanded" said Hermione shocked"Malfoy,I think Dudley might win the competition in being more spoiled."

"Wow Granger, you are complimenting Me, I think that is the first time."

"Do you want me to punch you instead like in third year?" asked Hermione smirking.

Draco paled at that mumbling quietly, "No thanks, I'll take the compliment."

"Wait wait, Aunt Hermione punched Mr. Malfoy!" exclaimed James "When did that happen?"

"You have to wait to find out James." said Hermione smirking,

"Oh c'mon, this is getting really annoying."

**been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall.**

"You always do things before you think don't you Potter" said Draco.

"I know , I know. No need to mention it again and again."

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly. When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive -'" With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

"Haha, that'll make a great picture" said Albus.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

**"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry.**

**"Dudley - go - just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? **

"This is really weird. I should talk to Prof. McGonagall about this. We can prevent child abuse." said Hermione.

"Maybe Dumbledore knew about this but didn't do anything about this because of the blood bond" replied Harry.

**And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan. The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights. He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first.**

"Good plan" said Hugo.

**His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door - Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat - something alive! Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. **

"Wow, Uncle Harry" said Rose, "Your uncle really didn't want you to go to he scared that he would turn you to pig or something for the way he treated you?"

"That might be one of the reasons. Another one was that he hated anything abnormal and magic is one of them according to him."

"But that's just bull****" said James.

"James, don't swear or else you'll have to wash your mouth with soap" said Ginny angrily.

"Ewww."

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the**

**time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap.**

**Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink. I want -" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. Uncle Vernon didnt go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

"Not going to happen."

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him. On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. **

"Wow." said James, "We should do this for Lily. Lets block all her letters. Let's see how many comes."

"No way, I am going to slep by the window the whole night on my eleventh birthday." came the reply.

"Awww…don't be a spoilsport Lils." said James.

"Look who's talking. James, you didn't sleep well for 5 days prior to your 11th birthday" sad Lily.

"Humph"

**As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips"**

"Oh God! Dad, were your ears alright after hearing him sing" asked Albus.

"They are fine now Al" replied Harry amused.

**as he worked, and jumped at small noises. On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office **

"Whats a post office?" asked Draco.

When Hermione explained it to him, he replied,"Muggles are weird. They have men to deliver letters!"

**and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

**Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

"Why?" asked James.

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today -"**

"Haha…owls don't take holidays dumbass" said Albus.

"Ok Albus, the same warning goes to you too. Don't make me wash your mouth" said Ginny.

At this, he hastily continued.

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. **

"Haha, cool" said the kids while everyone else laughed.

**The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one.**

**"Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.**

"Awww…" said Ron " This was interesting at first but now its just in the world do you get the letter?"

"Oh Ron, there is still more." came the reply.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time.I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

"Wow, you are actually going of to some other place. This is the height of insanity." said Ginny.

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag. They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake'em off... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this. They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling.**

"Cant believe that the kid is 11 and still crying" said Ron,"Even Hugo's stop doing that."

"Yeah" replied Hugo, before realizing what his dad said,"Hey, when do I do that."

Everyone chuckled at this.

**He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer. Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering...**

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

"100 letters. Wow, Now I am certain that Dumbledore knew about this." said Hermione.

"Yeah, but he had a valid reason for keeping that." replied Harry.

"But still…"

"Everyone makes mistakes Hermione." finished Harry before Hermione can bad mouth his mentor.

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

"Wow, the man's got mad" said James.

Everyone seemed to agree at this.

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.**

"Wow, see even the brat agrees" replied Draco.

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.**

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television. " Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television - then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. **

"Happy birthday dad" said Lily enthusiastically.

"Honey its not really my birthday." said Harry amused while everyone else chuckled.

"Still, I want to wish you."

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

Again the angry looks were given. If looks burn this book would be on fire a long ago.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day. **

"That's true" said Draco.

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"Wow, he is really really desperate isn't he" said Draco.

"You have no idea Malfoy, you have no idea. You should have seen the desperation on his face. It's years now but I still can't forget this day. It was kinda like my first adventure of many!" said Harry reminiscing.

"And by many, we mean huge" said Ron.

"Yeah yeah Dad, we know that you had an eventful life. But can I finish this chapter?" said Albus.

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

"Wow did those pigs fit on a small boat." said Ron amazed.

"It was more like a ferry." said Harry.

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms. Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

"It sounds creepy" said James.

"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.

"No way this is going to stop the boy who lived from entering Hogwarts" said Ron.

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

"Don't worry dad, it wont stop" said Lily.

"I know that now Honey"

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest,**

"Oh c'mon, the kid is your nephew" said Hermione angrily.

"Don't worry Mione, we'll have a nice chat with them later on" said Ginny who was equally angry.

**most ragged blanket. The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. **

Everyone were more angry and saddened at this. Albus had a look of disgust in his face.

**Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now. Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. **

"What, there's someone to pick you isn't there?" asked Ron.

"Maybe," replied Harry smirking.

"That means there is"

"Just read the rest Al."

**He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow. Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise?**

"Yes" said everyone who were finally happy about something.

**Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty ... ten... nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him - three... two... one...**

**BOOM.**

Everyone jumped at this.

"Al" shouted Ginny.

"What? I wanted to give a hug effect"

"Just finish the chapter."

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"**That's the end of the chapter."**

Everyone was excited now, wondering who has come to pick Harry up.


End file.
